Scott Andrews announces independent run in Avalon

PARADISE, N.L. — With his wife by his side, former Liberal MP Scott Andrews announced he’ll run as an Independent in the federal election as he brushed off lingering questions about sexual harassment claims against him.

“I’m moving forward and I’m putting that in the past,” Andrews said Tuesday at a news conference in Paradise, N.L., outside St. John’s.

The region is part of the Avalon riding Andrews has represented since 2008. He left the Liberal caucus in March after leader Justin Trudeau suspended him for alleged misconduct involving a female MP.

Susan Mosher will act as official agent for her husband in the campaign, as she has since 2008.

“I am 100 per cent supportive of this man,” Mosher said.

“It was a difficult time, I don’t deny that. But I am fully supportive of where we’ve come and where we are today, and from here on we are moving forward.”

The couple has two children.

Montreal MP Massimo Pacetti, accused in a separate matter, was also suspended from the Liberal caucus and has announced he won’t seek re-election.

In March, Andrews said he accepted summary findings after an investigation by Toronto lawyer Cynthia Petersen, but stopped short of saying he did anything wrong. Petersen’s investigation was conducted at Trudeau’s request, and the report was not publicly released as participants were assured confidentiality.

Andrews refused then as he did Tuesday to discuss specifics.

In a spring letter to constituents, Andrews wrote that the MP involved “has remained anonymous and expressed no interest in taking action on unsubstantiated allegations. Eager for an appropriate resolution, I have co-operated and participated in all processes presented to me; one offered by the Speaker of the House of Commons, the other by Mr. Trudeau.

“I participated in good faith with Mr. Trudeau’s process and I believed that the subsequent report was based on fact and should have seen me reinstated to the Liberal caucus.”

Andrews said an Independent MP could be especially influential if a minority government is elected Oct. 19.

Kelly Blidook, a political scientist at Memorial University of Newfoundland, said voters must size up Andrews without knowing all the facts.

“If he had come straight out and said: ‘I did nothing wrong’ … to me, that would be vastly different than simply saying nothing about it, which is essentially what he has done.”

Blidook said the episode exposed a troubling lack of procedures to fairly deal with complaints between MPs. He believes Andrews may benefit from what appears to be Conservative disarray in a riding that has switched between Liberal and Conservative colours.

Conservative party brass recently made headlines by snubbing Ches Crosbie, a successful lawyer and son of former Progressive Conservative cabinet minister John Crosbie, as a candidate. A spokesman declined to comment, calling it an internal matter.

“I think he was probably as good a candidate as they were going to get,” said Margo Murphy, president of the local Conception Bay Area Chamber of Commerce.

Andrews, who will face Conception Bay South Mayor Ken McDonald as the Liberal challenger, is still popular, she added.

Murphy said people have mixed feelings about the allegations against Andrews but many want to move on.

“They’re tired of hearing about it, and they just want to get back to the issues and policies that are affecting the region.”